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Television

Danny Boyle developing John Paul Getty III kidnapping TV series

In this March 6, 2017 photo, director Danny Boyle poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., to promote his film, "T2: Trainspotting," a sequel to the 1996 film, "Trainspotting." (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

British director Danny Boyle is moving forward with his long-gestating TV series about the kidnapping of John Paul Getty Iii.

The Slumdog Millionaire filmmaker will executive produce and direct the 10-episode series, titled Trust, alongside writer Simon Beaufoy and Christian Colson. The series was picked up by bosses at FX last year but casting is only now underway.

Production is slated to begin in London in June, and the show will premiere in January.

The series will start off in 1973 and will centre on Getty’s kidnapping. During the ordeal, Getty’s mother Abigail Harris begged his grandfather oilman Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom, which he initially refused. He eventually agreed to pay and the teenager was freed.

However, the experience left the younger Getty with a lot of trauma and he suffered a drug overdose, which led to a stroke, kidney failure, and him becoming a quadriplegic. He died in 2011 at the age of 54.

This is the second project in development about Getty’s kidnapping - Ridley Scott has reportedly signed on to direct a movie version, titled All the Money In the World. Casting details have yet to be revealed, but he is said to be keen to land Natalie Portman to portray Harris, and Jack Nicholson to play Jean Paul Getty.